Container cleaning machine



Sept? 1951 T. CQOKSON 2,568,949

CONTAINER CLEANING MACHINE File d June 28, 1948 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 RI GHTEND LEFT END Zhwentor LEONARD T. COOKSON Sept. 25, 1951 T CQQKSON2,568,949

CONTAINER CLEANING MACHINE Filed June 28, 1948 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 311mLEONAR T. COOKSON 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 28, 1948 lnnentor LEONARDT. COOKSON LEFT END p 25, 1951 T. COOKSON 2,568,949

CONTAINER CLEANING MACHINE 'Filed June 28, 1948 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 LEFTEND RIGHT END FIG. 7

3nventor LEONARD T. COOKSON Sept. 25, 1951 L. T. cooKsoN CONTAINERCLEANING MACHINE 8' Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed June 28', 1948 a GPA FIG-m OZUhum Snnentor L EONARD T. COOKSON Gttorneu Sept. 25, 1951 Filed June 28,1948 L. T. COOKSON CONTAINER CLEANING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 109 lOlFIG. 12 55 Enventer LEONARD T. COOKSON' Sept. 25, 1951 L c s 2,568,949

CONTAINER CLEANING MACHINE Filed June 28, 1948 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 v 3nnentor LEONARD T COOKSON v I fiKm Patented Sept. 25, 1951 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE CONTAINER CLEANING MACHINE Application J une 28, 1948,Serial No. 35,710

8 Claims. (Cl. 15-304) This invention relates to a container cleaningmachine, and particularly to a type thereof in which the container iscleaned by inverting and directing thereinto a stream of cleaning fluid.This application is a continuation in part of my copending applicationSerial No. 703,126, filed November 6, 1946.

In the art of filling containers, such as bottles, under highlyantiseptic conditions it is often desirable to direct a stream of fluid,such as air, into the container immediately prior to filling to insurethe removal therefrom of dust particles, or other foreign material,which might have become lodged therein. It is desirable that a machineprovided for this purpose work rapidly and efficiently and with aminimum of attention from the operator.

However, in cases where there may not be more than a few hundred of suchbottles handled at any given time, or where there may not be more than afew hundred bottles of a particular size and capacity handled at a giventime, the expense incident to using a fully automatic machine is notjustified. Even if the expense of original purchase or constructionmight be accepted, it is often not desirable in the case of a fewhundred bottles to expend the set-up and adjustment time incident toplacing a fully automatic machine into operation.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a machine which will besufiiciently automatic to provide substantial economy in both time andlabor over hand methods of directing a stream of fluid, such as air,into a container. On the other hand, such a machine must be sufficientlysimple in construction that it can be readily and quickly adjusted for agiven size of bottle within a substantial range and placed intooperating condition with a sufliciently small expenditure of time andlabor to make its use practicable with small quantities of containers.

It is further desirable that said machine be subject to suiiicientmanual control that it can be stopped and started as desired withoutotherwise interfering with the adjustments of the machine.

Accordingly, a major object of this invention is to provide asemi-automatic machine for directing a stream of cleaning fluid into aplurality of containers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine as aforesaidin which the containers will be held in an inverted position while saidfluid is being directed thereinto.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine as aforesaidwhich can be readily adjusted to receive bottles within a substantialrange of varying sizes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine as aforesaidin which all necessary adjustments can be quickly and accurately made,whereby the machine may be placed into operation in a minimum amount oftime.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine as aforesaidfrom which the fluid used for cleaning the containers, as well as anydirt entrained thereby, is removed and disposed of.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine as aforesaidwhich may be constructed and maintained economically.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to personsacquainted with equipment of this type upon reading the followingdisclosure and inspecting the accompanying drawings.

In constructing a mechanism meeting the objects and puposes above setforth as well as others incidental thereto and associated therewith, Ihave provided in general a machine having a pair of substantiallyparallel, spaced platforms which are rotatable about a horizontal axis,and which are both fitted with means upon their remote surfaces forgripping a plurality of containers. Positioned below said platforms area plurality of nozzles for ejecting cleaning fluid into said containers.Said nozzles are adjustably supported upon a vertically reciprocablebar. This nozzle support bar is so reciprocated that, immediatelyfollowing the inverting of said containers, the nozzles are movedupwardly to extend into said containers, and a stream of cleaning fluid,such as compressed air, is ejected from each nozzle under sufficientforce to remove all dust and other foreign material from the interior ofeach of said containers.

Suitable means is provided for automatically gripping a group ofcontainers upon the upward- 1y facing platform, rotating said platformsapproximately degrees about a horizontal axis, actuating said nozzlesupwardly into operable engagement with said containers, and releasing agas under pressure into said containers from said nozzle by a singlemovement of a manual control. The next movement of said manual controlturns off said gas, moves said nozzles downwardly away from saidcontainers, rotates said platforms back through the said 180 degrees andreleases the grip of said means upon said containers.

For illustrations of a preferred embodiment of my invention, attentionis directed to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a particular machine embodying myinvention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of said machine viewed from the rightwardend thereof as it appears in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of said machine viewed from the sidethereof opposite to that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of said machine viewed from the leftwardend thereof as it appears in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VIIVII of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-V1II of Figure 1showing the platform assembly inverted with respect to its position inFigure 1.

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IXIX of Figure 1.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line X-X ofFigure 2.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line XIXI ofFigure 3.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line XII-XIIof Figure 1 showin the platform assembly inverted with respect to itsposition in Figure 1.

Figure 13 is a sectional view of the said machine taken substantiallyalong the line XII[ XIII of Figure 11.

Figure 14 is a top plan view of a portion of the cleaning machineincluding the platform assembly.

The above mentioned drawings and the followin description disclose acontainer cleaning machine which is specifically designed to cleanbottles in a variety of sizes ranging from about 3%; inches to about 6inches in height. However, it should be understood that many of thedetails of this machine, particularly as to its size, the number ofbottles which it will handle, details of its frame, bearings, gears, andsimilar parts may be freely and widely varied without departing from thescope of the invention. Since this machine is designed to clean bottlesintended for pharmaceutical use, terminology appropriate thereto isemployed in this application, but such terminology including thatreferring to the containers is used for illustration only and is notintended to limit the invention.

General construction As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the container cleaningmachine to which this invention relates, is comprised of a base I0, 2.frame structure U, a rotatable platform assembly |2, a nozzle assemblyI3 and a cam assembly I4.

The base l (Figures 1, 5, 6 and 7), which may be fabricated in anyconventional manner from sturdy members, such as structural steel basechannels l and base plates I6, is rectangular in shape and supports theentire frame structure I I.

The frame structure I I, as appearing in Figure 1, has a leftward endstructure I! (Figures 4, 6 and 8), and a rightward end structure l8(Figures 2, 7 and 9). The leftward end structure I1 is comprised of apair of parallel, spaced, vertical bars 2| and 22 which are supportedand secured at their lower ends upon the base l0 '4 near the leftwardend thereof (Figure 1). The vertical bars 2| and 22 are mutually engagednear their upper ends by an upper mounting plate 23, and intermediatetheir upper and lower ends by an outer mounting plate 24 and an innermounting plate 25.

The rightward end structure I8 (Figures 2, '7 and 9) is comprised of apair of parallel, spaced, vertical channels 26 and 2! which aresupported and secured at their lower ends upon the base I0 near therightward end thereof and remote from said leftward end structure ll.The vertical channels 26 and 21 are mutually engaged near their upperends by an upper mounting plate 28, and intermediate their upper andlower ends by the outer mounting plate 29 and the inner mounting plate30. The mounting plates 23, 24, 25, 28, 29 and 30 may be secured to thebars 2| and 22 and the channels 26 and 27, re-

Platform assembly The platform assembly l2 (Figures 1, 3, 5, 11 and 12)which extends between the upper portions of the leftward and rightwardend structures H and I3, respectively, may be comprised of a pair ofparallel, flat, elongated rectangular platforms 3| and 32 which arespaced from each other by means of the platform end spacers 33 and 34,and the center spacer 35. Said platform assembly I2 is rotatablysupported upon the upper, outer mounting plates 23 and 28 by means ofthe platform stub shafts 36 and 21, respectively (Figures 6, 7 and 14).The stub shaft 36 is secured to the end spacer 33 by any suitable means,such as the lock collar 38, and is slidably received through, androtatably supported within, a suitable bushed opening in the mountingplate 23 (Figures 1, 6 and 8). The end of the stub shaft 36 remote fromthe end spacer 33 extends through the plate 23 and is engaged by africtional drag device 39 of any conventional form which is secured tothe outside surface of the mounting plate 23 and prevents backlash ofthe platform assembly when its rotation is arrested suddenly.

The stub shaft 31 is secured to the end spacer 34 by any suitable means,such as the lock collar 4|, and is slidably received through, androtatably supported within, a suitable bushed opening in the mountingplate 28. A splined sleeve 42 (Figures '7, 9 and 14), is rotatablysupported upon the stub shaft 31 between the end spacer 34 and themounting plate 28. An adjustable clutching device 43, part of which issecured to the sleeve 42 and part of which is secured to the end spacer34, is provided for rotating the platform assembly l2 through degrees ineither direction when the splined sleeve 42 is rotated by means and in amanner hereinafter disclosed.

The platforms 3| and 32 are both provided with identical bottle guideand gripping mechanisms 44 and 45, respectively (Figures 1, 3, 9, 11 and14). Therefore, a detailed description will be given of the guidemechanism 44 on the platform 3|, only.

The guide mechanism 44 is comprised of an adjustable guide 46, which isparallel with and opposed by a fixed guide 4'! and a gripper bar 48. Theadjustable guide 46, which may be fabricated from a fiat metal strip,extends the entire length of the platform and is adjustably supportedthereon with its flat surface substantially perpendicular thereto bymeans of a plurality, here two, of adjustment bolts 50 and adjustmentlugs 5|. The said bolts and lugs are secured to the flat outer side ofthe guide 46 and to the top of the platform 31, respectively, as bywelding. The bolts 50 slidingly extend through suitable openings in thelugs 5| and are held in adjusted position by the lock nuts 52. Bysuitable manipulation of said lock nuts 52, the guide 65 can be adjustedwithin a substantial range transversely of the platform 3| toaccommodate the guide mechanism 44 to various bottle widths.

The gripping guide 51 (Figure 11) which may be'fabricated from astructural angle,is secured to the platform 3|, for adjustmenttransversely thereof, by means of bolts which extend through the slots20a in the horizontal flange [9 of said angle and threadedly engage theplatform 3|. Said gripping guide, which extends the length of theplatform 3| and is preferably opposite and parallel with the lowerportion of said adjustable guide, thus is enabled to coopcrate with theadjustable guide to hold bottles of various diameters along thecenterline of said platform. The gripping guide vertical flange 53 andthe adjustable guide 46 constitute the walls of a bottle trough 54 whichextends the full length of the platform.

A bottle positioning device 55 (Figures 1 and 14) is secured to andsupported upon the outside face of the adjustable guide 46 adjacent tothe rightward end thereof. The positioning device is comprised of a pairof parallel, horizontal slide rods 56 supported at their extremitiesupon a pair of slide support blocks 5'! which are secured, as bywelding, to said adjustable guide 46. A slider 58, which is adjustablysupported upon the slide rods 51, slidably supports a plunger rod 59which extends through a suitable opening in said slider 58 and may beurged into the bottle trough 54 through an appropriate slot 6| in theadjustable guide 46. A plunger spring 62, which is sleeved upon theplunger rod between its head 53 and the opposing face of the slider 58,tends to resist the extending of the rod 59 through the slot 6|.

The gripper bar d8 (Figures 3, 11, 12 and 14) extends the length of theplatform 3| and is comprised of a metal strip 64 to which is bonded aresilient strip 65 made of any suitable material, such as sponge rubber.The metal strip 64 is secured, as by welding, to the upper ends of apair of pivot arms 66 which are pivotally supported upon the grippingguide 41 so that the resilient strip 65 is above the upper edge of thefixed guide vertical flange and its exposed face H is directly oppositethe upper portion of the adjustable guide 46.

The metal strip 64 of the gripper bar 48 is engaged by a pair of barcams 61 which are supported upon and rotatable with a cam shaft 68. Thecam shaft 68 is rotatably supported upon three cam shaft supportbrackets 69 (Figures 3 and 14) which are secured, as by welding, to thegripping guide 41. Gripper bar springs 12, which are secured at one endto the upper edge of the metal strip 64 and at the other end to the topof a support bracket 69, hold the metal strip 65 in continuousengagement with the cams 61. Said springs and cams cooperate to producepositive means by which the gripper bar &8 may be actuated toward theadjustable guide 16 into bottle clamping position and away from theadjustable guide 46 into bottle releasing po- Sition. 1 r

A cam shaft actuator 13 is supported upon and secured to the leftwardend, as appearing in Figures 1 and 14, of the cam shaft 68, which endextends beyond the corresponding end of the platform 3|. The actuator 13has a large disk provided with a slot 19 (Figure 8) in its outer edgewhich slot extends toward and is aligned with the axis of the disk.

The guide mechanism 35 (Figures 1, 5, 8, 9 and. 11) which is supportedupon and secured to the platform 32 and which, in general, is comprisedof an adjustable guide 46, a gripping guide 41, a gripper bar 48a, abottle trough 5412., a bottle positioning device 55a, and a cam shaftactuator 1301. having a slot 19a, is substantially identical to theguide mechanism 44, as hereinabove described in detail. Hence, detaileddescription thereof may be omitted.

In order to prevent overtravel of the platform assembly 12 when it isrotated and cushion the stopping of such rotation, which of necessity israpid, a rotational limit block 14 (Figures 1 and 2), is secured to theupper end of the Vertical channel 26 so that it extends away therefromtoward the platform assembly [2. Resilient pads 15 and 15a are securedto the upper and lower faces, respectively, of the said extended portionof said block 14. A pair of overtravel adjustment bars 16 and 1'!(Figures 1, 9 and 14) are secured to the rightward end (as in Figures 1and 14) of the platform 3| so that they extend away therefrom toward therightward end structure l8. Adjustment screws 18 and 18a are threadedlysupported in a vertical position through the extended portions of theadjustment :bars 16 and i1. Said adjustment bars are so positioned uponthe platform 3| that the screw 18 in the bar 16 engages the upper pad 15when the platform 31 is in the top horizontal position, and so that thescrew 18a in the bar Tl engages the lower pad 15a when the platform 3|is in the inverted or bottom horizontal position. By appropriateadjustment of the screws 16 and 13a, the platform assembly can be causedto stop rotating when the platforms 3! and 32 are level and horizontal.

The nozzle assembly After a plurality of upright bottles A have beengripped within the trough 54 or 54a of the platform assembly l2 (Figure11) and said assembly has been rotated 180 degrees so that the bottlesare inverted (Figure 12), said bottles are each entered by a cleaningnozzle SI of the vertically reciprocable nozzle assembly 13.

The nozzle assembly 13 (Figures 1, 5, 11 and. 12) is comprised of ametal nozzle support angle. 82 having a horizontal flange 53 providedwith a nozzle slot 84. The support angle 82 extends between the leftwardand rightward end structures I! and I8, respectively. The leftward endof the angle 82 (Figure 1) is secured, as by welding, to the leftconnector 85 which connector extends through a vertical slot 86 in theinner mounting plate 25 and is in turn secured to the left reciprocationplate 8'! (Figures 4, 8, 11 and 13), which plate is slidably supportedupon the mounting plate 25 between the guides 88.

The rightward end of the angle 82 (Figure l) is secured, as by welding,to the right connector 89 which connector extends through a verticalslot 91 in the inner mounting plate 38 and is in turn secured to theright reciprocation plate 92 (Figures 2, 9, 12 and 13), which plate isslidablysupported upon the mounting plate 30' between the guides 93,.Accordingly, the, angle '82. is moved upwardly or downwardly with.respect. to the platform assembly when. but only when, the reciprocationplates .81 and..92 are moved a. corresponding distance. Saidreciprocation plates are prevented from moving accidentally. by. meanshereinafter disclosed.

A plurality of cleaning. nozzles BI. are adjustably held within theslot. 84 in. the horizontal flange 83 of the angle 02 at, intervalsspaced to correspond with the spacing of the inverted bottles andaligned with the openings in. the necks C thereof. The slot 84 allowsfor longitudinal adjustment of said nozzles along, the angle 82.Vertical adjustment of. the nozzles 81. andthe nozzle assembly I3.iseffected by means disclosed hereinafter.

Although the nozzles 8| may be of any convenient, conventional type.they are herein illustratively shown (Figures 5, 11 and 12) as having acylindrical nozzle head 94, whose upper surface is provided with asuitable recess 95'for reception of an inverted bottle neck C. Saidnozzle head has a coaxial opening, extending downwardly from said recess95, into which opening the upper end of a tube 96 is inserted andsecured. The lower end of said tube 96 is provided with an outwardlyextending flange 91. A locking. collar 98, having an enlarged upperportion and an externally threaded, lower portion, is slidably sleevedupon said tube 96 between said. head and the flange 91. The collar 98 isurged against said flange by a nozzle spring 99 which is also sleevedupon the tube 96 and is held under compression between the upper end ofthe. collar 98 and the lower end of the head 94.

The cylindrical nozzle body IOI has a coaxial cylindrical chamber I02whose upper end is internally threaded for cooperation with the threadedlower portion of the collar 98. The lower end of the nozzle body IIH isprovided with an exhaust nipple I03 communicating with the chamber I02.A suitable, flexible exhaust conduit I04 engages the exhaust nipple I03and connects it to an inlet nipple I05 on an appropriate exhaust headerI06, which header is supported upon the nozzle support angle 82 by meansof the exhaust header support straps I01.

A suitable fluid discharge pipe I08 passes coaxially through, butpreferably does not engage,

the opening in the nozzle head and the tube 96, and extends into thechamber, I02. The upper end of the pipe I08 extends substantially abovethe head recess 95, and the lower end of the pipe engages, andcommunicates with, a flexible supply conduit I09, which conduit isconnected to a fluid supply header III, supported upon the ex haustheader support straps I01.

Each cleaning nozzle BI is assembled along the nozzle angle horizontalflange 83 by inserting the externally threaded portion of the collar 98through the nozzle slot 84 and then screwing it into the internallythreaded upper portion of the nozzle body IOI until the flange 03 isgripped firmly between the collar enlarged upper portion and said nozzlebody.

In this particular embodiment, compressed air is admitted to the supplyheader and thence through a plurality of the supply conduits I09 totheir respective discharge pipes I08 when the inverted bottles areproperly seated within the recesses 95 of the nozzle heads 94. Thecompressed air and entrained dust particles are then exhausted throughthe tube 96, the chamber I02, the exhaust nipple. I03, the exhaustconduit I04,

the inlet nipple I05v and into the exhaust header I06 for collection byany suitable means not shown.

Cam assembly The cam assembly I4 (Figures 1, 6, '1, 8, 9 and 10) iscentered about the cam line shaft II2 which is supported for rotationaloscillatory motion at four positions intermediate its extremities withinconventional bearings I I3 of any convenient type. The said bearings aremounted upon the bearing supports H4, H5, H5 and H1 which are in turnsupported upon and secured to the base It? with the axis of the camshaft, the axes of the nozzles and the axis of rotation of the platformall in the same vertical plane.

The bearing supports H4 and H5 (Figures 1 and 10) are at the leftwardend of the line shaft I I2 and are positioned on either side of theleftward end structure I1. The bearing supports H6 and H1 are at therightward end of the line shaft I I 2'and are positioned on either sideof the rightward end structure I8. The line shaft I12 is held in placewith respect to the bearing supports and bearings by means of thelocking collars H8.

A reciprocable, hydraulic actuating cylinder H9 of any appropriate type,which is supported upon the outer mounting plate 29 (Figures 1, 2 and 3)by any suitable mountin bracket, has a dependent actuating arm I2I witha rack I22 at its'lower end for engaging a line shaft pinion I23, whichpinion is secured to and rotatable with the line shaft I I2. The lineshaft is rotated approximately 295 degrees in one direction when theactuating arm I2I is urged downwardly by the cylinder II9, which may betermed a forward cycle, and is rotated back again 295 degrees in theopposite direction when the arm I2I is urged upwardly, which may betermed a reverse cycle. Accordingly, the fluid control cam I24, thegripper cam I25, the nozzle cam I26 and the platform cam I21, which camsare secured to and rotatable with the line shaft I I 2 in any convenientmanner, also have a rotational motion when the line shaft I I2 isactuated by the actuating cylinder H9.

The actuating arm I2I of the hydraulic actuating cylinder H9 is urgedupwardly or downwardly in a conventional manner when the selector handleI69 is placed in a particular position. The selector handle I68 directsthe flow of hydraulic fluid into the cylinder I I9. A hydraulic flowmechanism, including the flow control. I69

supported upon an extension I1I of the outer mounting plate 28 (Figures2 and 3) and conventional piping I12, move the hydraulic fluid from thereservoir I13 through the hydraulic pump I14, through the flow controlI69, through the selector I15 and into the actuating cylinder II9.Suitable return means is provided for returning the hydraulic fluid tothe reservoir I13. The pump I14 may be directly driven by a suitablemotor I16.

The-fluid control cam I24 (Figures 1, 3, 4, 6 and 10) which ispositioned between the bearing supports H4 and H5, has a high dwell I28of approximatel degrees, a low dwell I29 of approximately 270 degrees,and a rise and fall of about 5 degrees each between the dwells I28 andI29 along the perimeter of the cam. The cam follower I3I, which ispivotally supported upon the fluid control valve I 32, opens said valvewhen the follower is: on the high dwell I28 and closes said valve whenthe follower is on the low dwell.

The valve I32, which may be any one of many known to the art, issupported upon the outer mounting plate 24. At the beginning of eitherthe forward or reverse operating cycleof the cam assembly I4, the camfollower I3I is on the high dwell I28 adjacent to a said rise or fall.However, since the low dwell is 210 degrees long, almost the entirecycle is run with the cam follower on the low dwell and, consequently,with the valve closed.

It will be recognized that a rise occurring when the cam is rotated inone direction becomes a fall when the cam is rotated in the oppositedirection. This also applies in substance to rises and falls of the camsI25, I23 and I21, herein-..

after described.

When the valve I32 is opened, the cleaning fluid, here compressed air,is permitted to flow from a suitable supply (not shown) through an airfilter I30 to said valve 132 and thence through the conduit I33 into thesupply header III (Figures 3 and 5) for appropriate distribution to thecleaning nozzles 8| as hereinbefore disclosed.

The gripper cam I25 (Figures 8 and 10) which is positioned between thecam I24 and the bearing support II5, has a cam track I34 with a lowdwell of 16.5 degrees, a rise of '75 degrees, a high dwell of 112degrees, a fall of '75 degrees, and another low dwell of 16.5 degrees.The cam follower I35, which cooperates with the cam track I34, issecured to the lower end of the vertically reciprocable, grippingmechanism actuation post I36 (Figures 6, 13 and 14), which post isslidably supported, near its upper end, upon the upper mounting plate 23between the post slides I31. A yoke I33, which is secured to the lowerend of the post I35, slidably straddles the line shaft II2 between thecam I24 and I25 for the purpose of guiding the lower end of said postduring its vertical reciprocation.

At the beginning of the cam assemblys operating cycle, the cam followerI is in one of the low dwell positions at either end of the cam trackI34. The rise moves the post I36 upwardly where it remains during thehigh dwell and is then moved downwardly by the fall. In the reverserotation of the cam assemblys next cycle, the said fall becomes a riseand the said rise becomes a fall.

The upper end of the post I36, which may extend above the top of theleftward end structure I1 and is adjacent to the leftward end (Figures1, 3 and 8) of the platform assembly I2, is provided with an adjustablecam actuator engaging pin I39, which pin may be adjusted so that itengages the slot 19 (Figure 8) in the cam shaft actuator 13. When thegripper cam I25 moves the actuation post I35 upwardly dur ing the firstportion of the cycle, the pin I39 rotates the cam shaft actuator 13 andthe cam shaft 68 so that the bar cams 61, secured thereto, urge thegripper bar into bottle clamping position (Figure 11). When said grippercam moves said post downwardly, during the last portion of the cycle,the pin I39 rotates said actuator 13 and shaft 63 so that the bar cam 61permit the gripper bar 48 to return to bottle releasing position (Figure12) It will be recognized that the pin I 39 can and will engage a slot13a in the actuator 13a, in a manner similar to its engagement of theslot 13, when the platform 32 is in the top position (Figure 8).

The nozzle cam I26 (Figures 9 and 10) which is positioned between thebearing support H6 and the shaft pinion I23, has a cam track IM which ispreferably identical in contour to the cam track I34 in the gripper camI25. The cam follower I42, which cooperates with the track MI, issecured to the lower end of the vertically reciprocable nozzle raisingrack I43, which rack is guided along one edge, near its upper end, by arack slide I44. The teeth of said rack I43, which are on the oppositeedge thereof from said guided edge, engage a nozzle raising pinion I 45(Figures 13 and 14). Thus the upper end of the rack I43 is held betweenthe pinion I45 and the slide I44, which slide is secured, as by bolting,to the right reciprocation plate 92. A yoke I46, which is secured to thelower end of the rack I43, slidably straddles the line shaft II2 betweenthe nozzle cam I26 and the shaft pinion I 23 (Figure 10) to guide thelower end of the rack during its vertical reciprocation.

The pinion I45 (Figures 8, 9 and 13) is supported upon and rotatablewith one end of the nozzle raising shaft I41, which shaft is rotatablysupported within suitable bushed openings in the inner mounting plates25 and 30. The shaft I41 extends through the vertical shaft'slots I48and I49 in the reciprocation plates 81 and 92,

respectively, which slots permit said reciprocation plates to be movedupwardly and downwardly with respect to said inner mounting plates, asrequired, without interference from the shaft I41.

That end of the shaft I41 extending through the plate 81 supports and isrotatable with another nozzle raising pinion I5I, which is preferablyidentical to the pinion I45. The nozzle raising pinions I45 and I5Iengage a pair of adjustment racks I52 and I53 (Figures 8, 9 and 13),respectively, which racks are vertically adjustably supported upon thereciprocation plates 81 and 92 by means of the rack locking bolts I54and I55, respectively (Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12) The rack bolts I54 andI55 extend through their respective racks I52 and I53 and thence throughvertical adjustment shaft slots I56 and I51 in the reciprocation plates81 and 92, respectively. The ends of the bolts I54 and I55 extendingthrough the slots I56 and I51 on the opposite sides of saidreciprocation plates are engaged by appropriate nuts whereby the racksI52 and I53 may be adjustably secured to their respective reciprocationplates.

Accordingly, since the racks I 52 and I53 are normally fixed withrespect to their reciprocation plates 81 and 92 and are engaged by thenozzle raising pinions I45 and I5I, any rotation I of the nozzle raisingshaft I41, which is capable of rotational movement only with respect tothe inner mounting plates 25 and 30, will effect a corresponding upwardor downward movement reciprocation plates 81 and 92 (Figures 11 and 12),and the nozzle raising shaft I41 is actuated by the nozzle cam I26through the nozzle raising rack I43 (Figures 9 and 13) as hereinbeforementioned. One operating cycle of the cam assembly I4, which produces acomplete rotational move- I ment of the nozzle cam I26 in one direction,causes the rack I43 to move upwardly, remain there for a short period oftime and then move downwardly. Therefore, such motion of the rack' I43effects a rotation of the nozzle raising shaft ano e-19 11 I41 first inone direction and then, after a short pause, in the opposite direction,which rotation effects a downward movement of the nozzle assembly I3 andthen, after a short pause to permit the platform to rotate, an upwardmovement of said nozzle assembly.

The vertical shaft slots I68 and I49 (Figures 8, 9 and 13) in the innermounting plates 81 and 92, respectively, permit vertical movement ofsaid reciprocation plates without interference from the nozzle raisingshaft M1 which does not move vertically with said reciprocation plates.

The adjustment racks 152 and I53 (Figure 13) rotatably support theopposite ends of the nozzle adjustment shaft I53, which shaft slidablyextends through the adjustment shaft slots I56 and I51 in thereciprocation plates 81 and 92, respectively, and also slidably extendsthrough the vertical slots 86 and BI in the inner mounting plates 25 and35, respectively. The shaft slots 85 and BI (Figures 11, 12 and 13), theshaft slots I48 and I69 and the shaft slots I56 and I51 are allsubstantially parallel and vertical. A pair of adjustment pinions 55 and65 (Figure 13) are supported upon and rotatable with the shaft I58 andare positioned within the vertical shaft slots 86 and SI adjacent to thereciprocation plates 81 and 92, respectively. The adjustment pinions I69and II engage a pair of vertical, fixed racks I52 and I53 which areattached, as by bolting, to the opposed surfaces of the reciprocationplates 81 and 92, respectively, and also lie within the shaft slots 85and 9!. The end I64 of the adjustment shaft I58 extends beyond theadjustment rack I52 (Figure 3) where it is engaged by an adjustmentcrank I65 (Figure 4).

The nozzle adjustment mechanism I86 (Figure 13), which includes theabove described adjustment shaft I58 and pinions I 50 and ESL and thefixed racks I52 and I63, is provided for the purpose of adjusting theposition of the nozzle assembly upwardly or downwardly for bottles ofdifferent heights. The adjustment mechanism I66 can be actuated onlyafter the locking bolts I54 and I55 have been loosened to permitmovement of the adjustment racks I52 and I53 with respect to thereciprocation plates 81 and 92. Then, by turning the crank 165 in onedirection, clockwise as appearing in Figure 4, the reciprocation plates81 and 92, hence the nozzle assembly I3, are moved downwardly withrespect to the mounting plates 25 anddG through the interaction of theadjustment pinions I60 and I6I and the fixed racks I62 and I53,respectively. The adjustment shaft I58 is prevented from moving upwardlyor downwardly during the adjustment operation by the adjustment racks152 and I53 which are held fixed with respect to said inner mountingplates by the locked relationship between the nozzle raising shaft I41,the rack I43 and the cam assembly I4 when said cam assembly is notmoving.

If the crank I65 is turned counterclockwise (Figure 4), the adjustmentpinions I 60 and I6I urge the fixed racks 62 and IE3, respectively, andthe reciprocation plates secured thereto, upwardly, thereby raising thenozzle assembly I3. After appropriate, vertical adjustment of the nozzleassembly I3 has been accomplished, as described above, the adjustmentracks I52 and I53 are again secured to their reciprocation plates bytightening the locking bolts 154 and I55, respectively.

The platform cam 21 (Figures 7 and which is positioned between nozzlecam I26 and the shaft pinion I23, has a cam track I11 with a low dwellof 92 degrees, a rise of 111 degrees and a high dwell of 92 degrees. Thecam follower I18, which cooperates with the cam track I11, is secured tothe lower end of the vertically reciprocabl-e platform rotating rack i19 (Figures '7, 13 and 14), which rack is slidably guided near its upperend along one edge by the vertical rack slide I8I, which is secured, asby bolting, to the upper mounting place 28. The edge of said rack I19,opposite said guided edge, is provided with teeth which engage an idlergear I82, which gear is rotatably supported upon the mounting plate 28substantially between, and engaging, both said rack I19 and the splinedsleeve 32 of the clutching device 43. A yoke I83, which is secured tothe lower end of the rack I151, slidably straddles the line shaft II2between the cam I25 and the cam I21 for the purpose of guiding the lowerend of said platform rack during its vertical reciprocation,

At the beginning of the cam assemblys operating cycle the cam followerI18 may be at either end of the cam track I11. If, for example, the camfollower is in the low dwell of the track at the beginning of anoperating cycle, a complete rotation of the cam assembly in onedirection will cause the cam track to raise the platform rack I19. Thiselevation of the said platform will take place during the middle portionof the cams rotation.

The idler gear I82, which is rotated by the said upward motion of therack I19, rotates the splined sleeve 42, which as aforesaid ispreferably integral with a portion of the clutching device 43, andthereby rotates the platform assembly I2 through degrees, ashereinbefore mentioned. The clutching device 43 is preferably designedfor overtravel in any conventional manner so that the splined sleeve canbe rotated somewhat in excess of 180 degrees by the idler gear I82 andthe rack I19 without forcing the platform assembly to rotate more than180 degrees and thereby damaging the rotational limit block 14 or theadjustment bars 16 and 11. Thus, by permitting the splined sleeve tomove slightly more than 180 degrees, but positively holding the platformto movement through 180 degrees only, assurance is had that withoutunreasonable adjustment problems being encountered, the platform willturn through a full 180 degrees but no more.

When the cam assemblys operating cycle is reversed by appropriatemovement of the actuating cylinder arm I2I, the said rise in the camtrack I11 becomes a fall, the platform rack is lowered by the cam I21,and the direction of rotation of the idler gear I82, the clutch 43 andthe platform assembly I2 are reversed from their most recent directionof rotation.

It will be clearly understood that, although certain parts of thecleaning machine to which this invention relates are herein specificallydescribed for illustrative purposes and in the interest of clarity, suchspecific identification is not necessarily intended to limit the scopeof the invention or eliminate mechanical equivalents where theirinterchangeability would be evident to persons skilled in the art.

Operation The cleaning machine must first be set up for the particularbottles A and B, or other containers to be cleaned thereby. Suitableadjustment must be made in the relative positions of the guides 46 and41, and 46a and 41a on the platforms 3! and 32, respectively, and thevertical position of the nozzle assembly I3 must be adjusted to thebottle height. The cleaning nozzles 8! must be positioned along thehorizontal flange 83 of the nozzle angle 82 to properly engage theinverted bottles and the bottle positioning device 55 must be adjustedto correspond therewith. The motor I76 is energized and the air filterI3!) is connected to a suitable means (not shown) for supplyingcompressed air.

The operator, Who preferably works from the side of the machine shown inFigure 1, moves the plunger rod 59 into the bottle trough 54 and thenslides a line of bottles from a table D, into the trough 54 until thefirst bottle bears snugly against the said plunger rod. The selectorhandle I 68 is actuated and the cleaning machine immediately commences acycle of operation, either forward or reverse, depending upon theposition of the actuating arm I2! of the cylinder II9.

A single cycle of the cleaning machines operation includes a singlestroke of the actuating arm I2! in one direction and a completerotational movement of the cam assembly !4 through approximately 295degrees of arc in one direction. This single cycle, whether forward orreverse, produces a sequence of motions and operations, as follows: Theair being emitted from the discharge pipes IllB at the outset of thecycle is shut off as the cam follower I3! moves from high dwell I28 tolow dwell I 29, thereby closing the control valve I32, within about thefirst 10 degrees of rotation. The nozzle assembly remains in the raisedposition for 16.5 degrees of rotation of the nozzle cam I26 and then islowered during the next 75 degrees of the cams rotation by an upwardmovement of the nozzle controlling rack I43 in the manner hereinbeforementioned. While the nozzle assembly ISis being lowered, the gripper camIE5 is raising the actuation post I36 which causes the engaging pin I39to rotate the cam shaft actuator I3 and, therefore, the

bar cams 6'! so that the gripper bar is urged to 4' clamp the bottles Ain an upright position.

One-half degree of rotation after the nozzle assembly reaches its lowpoint and the gripper actuation post reaches its high point or, in otherwords, after the cam assembly has rotated 92 r degrees, the cam followerI'IB encounters the rise in the cam track I'II of the platform cam I2!and the platform assembly is rotated, during the following 111 degreesof cam rotation, until the adjustment screw 18a (Figure 14) strikes theresilient pad 75a (Figure 1) on the rotational limit block 1s, therebystopping said platform at exactly 180 degrees of rotation even thoughthe splined sleeve 42 turns a few degrees further. The platform 3! andthe guide mechanism 3 have now replaced the platform 82 and mechanism 45in the bottom position on the platform assembly (Figure 8). It will benoted that the bottle clamping action of the guide mechanism 44 and thelowering of the nozzle assembly I3 is necessarily accomplished beforethe platform assembly is rotated. This is intended to prevent the escapeof any bottles A from the trough 54 during the rotation of the platformand to prevent injury of the cleaning nozzles 84 by moving the invertedbottles E (Figure 11) before the discharge pipes I08 have beencompletely withdrawn from the bottle necks C. The drag device 39prevents undesirable movement of the platform assembly during and afterits rotation.

One-half degree of rotation of the cam assembly I4 after the platformassembly has been completely rotated, that is, after the cam assem- -blyhas rotated 203.5 degrees, the cam follower 5 I42 encounters the fall inthe cam track I4! of -the nozzle cam I26 and the nozzle assembly israised during the ensuing '75 degrees of rotation of the cam assembly I4for insertion of the discharge pipes I08 into the inverted bottles A(Figures 8 and 12). The discharge pipes I08 enter the bottles A throughthe bottle necks C which rest within the nozzle head recesses 95. Duringthe same 75 degrees of rotation that said nozzle assembly is raised bylowering the nozzle 5 rack 143, the actuation post I36 and engaging pinI39 are lowered. Said engaging pin engages the slot 19a (Figure 8) inthe cam shaft actua- -tor 73a, which has now taken the exact positionheld by the actuator 13 before the platform assembly was rotated, androtates said actuator, 'hence the bar cams 68, so that the bar springs12a are permitted to draw the gripper bar 48m back into bottle releasingposition (Figure 12). All bottles B, which have been clamped within theguide mechanism (Figure 11) at the beginning of the operating cycle, arenow on the top side of the platform assembly (Figures 8 and 12) are nowreleased, may be slid from the bottle 9 trough 54a and replaced by a newset of bottles in substantially the same manner as the bottles "A werefed into the bottle trough 54 as hereinabove described.

During the last 16.5 degrees of rotation of the cam assembly and, infact, until the selector handle IE8 is so moved that the reverse cycleof operation is commenced, the nozzle assembly f will remain in contactwith the bottles A (Figure 12), and the gripper bar 48a will be left inthe U bottle releasing position. The cam follower I3! is caused to openthe fluid control valve I32 by contacting the high dwell I28 during thelast 10 degrees of the operating cycle, thereby permitting the cleaningfluid, here compressed air, to be emitted from the discharge pipes I08into the 0 bottles A. The fluid continues to flow from the pipes Il8until the selector handle IE8 is moved to the reverse cycle position andthe fluid control valve is closed in proper order at the beginning ofthe next cycle. The cleaning fluid emitted into the inverted bottles maybe exhausted through the exhaust conduits I04 and the exhaust header I86in a conventional manner. As far as the results are concerned and as faras the operation of the various assemblies 1 need be considered, thesequence of the reverse cycle is identical with the forward cyclehereinabove described. It will be noted that in one cycle the actuatingarm I2! moves downwardly and the platform rack moves upwardly and theplatform assembly rotates in one direction, whereas in the other cyclesuch movements and rotations are reversed, however, the sequence ofoperations throughout the two cycles remains the same.

In general, either sequence comprises: stopping the flow of cleaningfluid, clamping the bottles within the upwardly facing guide mecha- 7nism, lowering the nozzle assembly away from the bottles clamped in thedownwardly facing guide mechanism, rotating the platform assembly 180degrees, moving the nozzle assembly up to the new batch of invertedbottles, releasing the cleaned bottles from the upwardly facing guidemechanism, and releasing the flow of cleaning fluid into the invertedbottles.

Although the above mentioned drawings and description apply to oneparticular, preferred embodiment of the invention, it is not myintention, implied or otherwise, to eliminate other varia-- tions ormodifications which do not depart from the scope of the invention unlessspecifically stated to the contrary in the hereinafter appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine for cleaning bottles having openings, the combinationcomprising: a struc-- tural base and a pair of spaced, upright framestructures secured to said base, said frame structures having innermounting plates secured to their opposed sides intermediate their upperand lower ends, said plates having vertical parallel slots; a pair ofparallel, spaced, horizontal, elongated platforms secured to each otherto form a platform assembly and means rotatably supporting said assemblyupon and between the upper portions of said frame structures, saidrotation being about a horizontal axis, and said platforms facing inopposite directions; a pair of bottle guide and gripping mechanismsadjustably secured and longitudinally disposed along each of saidplatforms, said mechanisms having means for positioning said bottleswith respect thereto; a cam shaft rotatably supported upon said basesubstantially between said frame structures under said platform assemblyand parallel with the rotational axis thereof; a manually controllablereciprocable actuator effecting rotational movement of said cam shaftthrough less than 360 degrees in each direction; means including a firstcam rotatable with said cam shaft and a vertically reciprocable rackoperable by said first cam for rotating said platform assembly;adjustable stop means limiting the rotation of said platform assembly to180 degrees; means including a second cam rotatable with said cam shaftand a vertically reciprocable actuation post operable by said second camfor urging said guide and gripping mechanism into and out of bottleclamping position; a nozzle support member extending through the slotsin said mounting plates and being adjustably secured to a pair ofvertically reciprocable plates slidably supported..adjacent to themutually remote surfaces of said mounting plates, said member supportinga plurality of bottle cleaning nozzles horizontally adjustabletherealong, directly beneath said guide and gripping mechanisms andalignable with said openings in said bottles when inverted by saidmechanisms; means including a third cam rotatable with said cam shaftand a vertically reciprocable rack operable by said third cam forlowering and raising said nozzle support; means for vertically adjustingsaid support member with respect to said reciprocable plates; meansincluding a fluid control valve for supplying cleaning fluid to saidnozzle; and means including a fourth cam rotatable with said cam shaftfor opening and closing said fluid control valve; all arranged andconstructed so that a unidirectional stroke of said reciprocableactuator causes, in sequence, the closing of the cleaning fluid controlvalve, the lowering of the nozzles, the moving of the guide and grippingmechanism then in the upper position to its bottle gripping position,the 180 degree rotation of the platform assembly, thereby inverting anybottles so gripped by said mechanism, the raising of said nozzles tooperably engage and enter said bottles, the release of the 16 otherguide and gripping mechanism from bottle clamping position, and theopening of said fluid control valve, thereby releasing cleaning fluidinto said inverted bottles.

2. In a machine for cleaning bottles having openings, the combinationcomprising: a structural base and a pair of spaced, upright framestructures secured to said base; a pair of parallel, spaced, horizontal,elongated platforms secured to each other to form a platform assemblyand means rotatably supporting said assembly upon and between the upperportions of said frame structures, said rotation being about ahorizontal axis and said platforms facing in opposite directions; a pairof bottle guide and gripping mechanisms adjustably secured andlongitudinally disposed along each of said platforms, said mechanismshaving means for positioning said bottles with respect thereto; a camshaft rotatably supported upon said base substantially between saidframe structures under said platform assembly and parallel with therotational axis thereof; a manually controllable reciprocable actuatoreffecting rotational movement of said cam shaft through less than 360degrees in each direction; means including a first cam rotatable withsaid cam shaft and a vertically reciprocable rack operable by said flrstcam for rotating said platform assembly; adjustable stop means limitingthe rotation of said platform assembly to degrees; means including asecond cam rotatable with said cam shaft and a vertically reciprocableactuation post operable by said second cam for urging said guide andgripping mechanism into and out of bottle clamping position; a nozzlesupport member adjustably secured to and extending between a pair ofvertically reciprocable plates slidably supported upon said framestructures, said member supporting a plurality of bottle cleaningnozzles horizontally adjustable therealong, di rectly beneath said guideand gripping mechanisms and alignable with said openings in said bottleswhen inverted by said mechanisms; means including a third cam rotatablewith said cam shaft and a vertically reciprocable rack operable by saidthird cam for lowering and raising said nozzle support; means forvertically adjusting said support member with respect to saidreciprocable plates; means including a fluid control valve for supplyingcleaning fluid to said nozzle; and means including a fourth camrotatable With said cam shaft for opening and closing said fluid controlvalve; all arranged and constructed so that a unidirectional stroke ofsaid reciprocable actuator causes, in sequence, the closing of thecleaning fluid control valve, the lowering of the nozzles, the moving ofthe guide and gripping mechanism then in the upper position to itsbottle gripping position, the 180 degree rotation of the platformassembly, thereby inverting any bottles so gripped by said mechanism,the raising of said nozzles to operably engage and enter said bottles,the release of the other guide and gripping mechanism from bottleclamping position, and the opening of said fluid control valve, therebyreleasing cleaning fluid into said inverted bottles.

3. In a machine for cleaning bottles having openings, the combinationcomprising: a base and a pair of spaced, upstanding frame structuressecured to said base; a pair of parallel, spaced, oppositely facingbottle guide and gripping mechanisms secured to each other to form abottle supporting assembly and rotatably supported about a horizontalaxis upon the upper reversible rotation of said cam shaft of less than360 degrees; means including a first cam rotatable with said cam shaftand a vertically reciprocable rack operable by said first cam forrotating said bottle supporting assembly through approximately 180degrees; means includifig a second cam on said cam shaft and avertically reciprocable actuation post operable by said second cam forurging said guide and gripping mechanism into and out of bottle clampingposition; a plurality of nozzles vertically adjustably supported upon apair of vertically reciprocable plates which are slidably supported uponsaid frame structures, said nozzles being horizontally adjustable withrespect to each other and located directly beneath the axis of rotationof said bottle gripping assembly and alignable with said openings insaid bottles when same are inverted by said assembly; means including athird cam on said cam shaft and a vertically reciprocable rack operableby said third cam for lowering and raising said nozzles; means includinga valve for supplying cleaning fluid to said nozzles and means includinga fourth cam for opening and closing said valve; all so arranged andconstructed that a single actuation of said manually controllable meanscauses, in sequence, the closing of the said valve, the lowering of thenozzles, the clamping of one guide and gripping mechanism upon aplurality of bottles, the inversion of said bottles, the raising of saidnozzles to operably engage said bottles, the release of the other guideand gripping mechanism from clamping position, and the opening of saidvalve thereby releasing cleaning fluid into said inverted bottles.

4. In a bottle cleaning machine, the combination comprising: a base anda pair of spaced, upstanding frame structures secured to said base; ahorizontally disposed bottle guide and gripping mechanism rotatablysupported about a horizontal axis upon the upper portions of said framestructures, said mechanism having bottle positioning means; a rotatablefirst cam under said mechanism and a vertically reciprocable rackoperable by said cam for rotating said guide and gripping mechanismthrough approximately 180 degrees; a rotatable second cam under saidmechanism and a vertically reciprocable post operable by said second camfor urging said guide and gripping mechanism into and out of bottleclamping position; a pair of vertically reciprocable plates slidablysupported upon said frame structures and a nozzle adjustably supportedthereon, said nozzle being directly beneath said guide and grippingmechanism and alignable with a bottle inverted by said mechanism; arotatable third cam under said mechanism and a vertically reciprocablerack operable by said third cam for lowering and raising saidreciprocable plates; means including a valve for supplying fiuid to saidnozzle and a fourth rotatable cam for opening and closing said valve;and manually controllable means for effecting a related rotationalmovement of said cams; whereby a single actuation of said manuallycontrollable means causes, in sequence, the closing of said valve, thelowering of the nozzle, the clamping of the guide and gripping mechanismupon a bottle, the inversion of said bottle, the raising of said nozzleto engage said bottle, and the opening of said 18 valve therebyreleasing fiuid into said inverted bottle.

5. In a container cleaning machine, the combination comprising: a frame;a container holding mechanism having releasable container gripping meansthereon and being rotatably supported about a horizontal axis upon saidframe; a rotatable cam shaft under said mechanism and manuallycontrollable means effecting reversible rotation of said shaft; a firstcam on said shaft and a vertically reciprocable rack operable by saidcam for rotating said holding mechanism; a second cam on said shaft andmeans including a vertically reciprocable post operable by said secondcam for actuating said gripping means; a plurality of nozzles adjustablyand vertically reciprocably supported upon said frame beneath saidholding mechanism and'alignable with containers inverted thereby; athird cam on said shaft and means including a vertically reciprocablerack operable by said third cam for lowering and raising said nozzles;means connecting said nozzles to a source of fluid supply; and meansincluding a camfor controlling the flow of cleaning fluid to saidnozzles; all arranged and constructed so that a partial rotation of saidcam shaft causes, in sequence, the interruption of fluid flow to thenozzles, the lowering of the nozzles, the gripping of a plurality ofcontainers within the holding mechanism, the inversion of saidcontainers, the raising of said nozzles to engage said containers, andthe release of fluid through said nozzles into said inverted containers.7

6. In a container cleaning machine, the combination comprising: a frame;a container holding mechanism having releasable container gripping meansthereon and being rotatably supported about a horizontal axis upon saidframe; a rotatable cam shaft under said mechanism a rd manuallycontrollable means effecting rotation of said shaft; a first cam on saidshaft and a vertically reciprocable rack operable by said cam forrotating said holding mechanism; a second cam on said shaft and meansincluding a vertically reciprocable post operable by said second cam foractuating said gripping means; a nozzle vertically reciprocablysupported upon said frame beneath said holding mechanism and alignablewith a container inverted thereby and means connecting said nozzle to asource of cleaning fluid; a third cam on said shaft and means includinga vertically reciprocable rack operable by said third cam forreciprocating said nozzle; whereby rotation of said cam shaft effects,in sequence, the

' lowering of the nozzle, gripping of the container within the holdingmechanism, inversion of said container, and raising of said nozzle intocontact with said inverted container.

'7. In a container cleaning machine, the combination comprising: aframe; a container holding mechanism having releasable containergripping means thereon and being rotatably supported about a horizontalaxis upon said frame; a first cam rotatably supported under saidmechanism and a vertically reciprocable rack actuable by said cam forrotating said mechanism; a second cam rotatably supported under saidmechanism and means including a vertically reciprocable post operable bysaid second cam for actuating said gripping means; a nozzle verticallyreciprocably supported upon said frame beneath said mechanism, alignablewith a container inverted thereby and connectable to a source ofcleaning fluid; a third cam rotatably supported under said mechanism andmeans including a ver- 19 tically reciprocable rack operable by saidthird cam for reciprocating said nozzle; and means effecting related andreversible rotation of said cams, thereby causing, in sequence, loweringof the nozzle, gripping of a container within said holding mechanism,inversion of said container, and raising of said nozzle into contactwith the inverted container.

8. In a container cleaning machine, the combination comprising: a frame:a container holdin mechanism having releasable container gripping meansthereon and being rotatably supported about a horizontal axis upon saidframe; a first actuating means under said mechanism and a verticallyreciprocable rack actuable by said first means for rotating saidmechanism; a second actuating means under said mechanism and avertically reciprocable post operable by said second means for actuatingsaid gripping means; a nozzle vertically reciprocably supported uponsaid frame beneath said mechanism and alignable with a containerinverted thereby; a third actuating means under said mechanism and avertically reciprocable rack operable by said third means forreciprocating said nozzle and means connecting same to a source ofcleaning fluid; and means driving said several actuating means inpredetermined, timed relation to each other, thereby causing, insequence, the lowering of the nozzle, gripping of the container withinthe holding mechanism, inversion of said container, and railng of saidnozzle into contact with said inverted container.

\ LEONARD T. COOKSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Taylor Nov. 24, 1931 Risser Apr. 2, 1940Howard May 12, 1942 Number

